When Jason Newland, MD, MEd, launched a survey of freestanding children’s hospitals 3 years ago, he found that only 16 of 42 hospitals supported a formal antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). But since then the number likely has increased.

“There’s definitely more interest in them now,” said Newland, medical director of patient safety and reliability at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. He expects that President Obama’s recent executive order outlining a national strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria will further drive the development of pediatric ASPs (http://1.usa.gov/ZrXYwP).